Trifles Symbolism

The play Trifles was written by Susan Glaspell in 1916 to be a one act play. The play was adapted from a real life murder trial that Glaspell covered as a journalist in Iowa. The story reveals a woman driven to murder by an unfriendly husband and their lifeless marriage.The title of the play, Trifles, is meant to highlight the idea that men consider the roles of women to be inconsequential or trivial. The men in the story symbolize authority and society’s attitude towards women. The play is an insight into the lives of poverty stricken rural women and the role that women face in society. Glaspell shows us the elusive nature of truth and uses symbolism to argue for equality between the sexes. The play begins in Minnie Wright’s kitchen. Mrs.
The discovery of the bird cage seems to absolve Mrs. Wright of any guilt in the eyes of the women of the play. To the women the broken bird cage symbolizes the Wright’s broken marriage. The women know the life of the bird and their marriage was snuffed out by Mr. Wright. Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters work together to hide the evidence from the Sheriff and County Attorney to secure Mrs. Wright’s freedom. When Mrs. Peters shares the story of the boy killing her kitten with a hatchet she is expressing the mutually shared female experience of being hurt by men Mrs. Peters understands the risk they are taking because her husband is the Sheriff.
COUNTY SHERIFF: For that matter, a sheriff’s wife is married to the law. Ever think of it that way, Mrs. Peters?
. Glaspell’s use of symbols helped convey the loss of freedom that women experience.
The play Trifles offered insight into the mood of society at a time where the social status of women was viewed as being beneath that of men. The women in the play were courageous in their actions to stand against the loss of the freedom of many women. This play helped inspire many others to bravely fight for